Ketlen Vieira Defeats Cat Zingano, Calls for UFC Title Shot in Her Next Fight
A new contender has arrived in the women’s bantamweight division as Ketlen Vieira defeated Cat Zingano at UFC 222 and now she’s gunning for gold.
Vieira was already on the radar of title contention after she defeated Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann in her last fight but this put her on a bigger stage with the opportunity to leave a lasting impression.
Zingano came out very aggressive in the opening round but that didn’t help her much against a bigger and physically strong Vieira, who was able to resist the pressure and reverse her takedown attempts.
Zingano did manage one good throw in the opening round but Vieira immediately slipped out of the position to get back to her feet.
The second round saw Vieira land a beautiful trip takedown of her own as she looked to pass Zingano’s guard and work for either a submission or a ground and pound attack.
As time ticked away, Vieira remained in complete control with Zingano struggling to get out from underneath her.
HUGE slam by @KetlenVieiraUFC as Zingano hits the mat! #UFC222 pic.twitter.com/YM6UrrEirG
— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2018
Zingano came out throwing fire in the third round, knowing that she was likely down on the scorecards but she still couldn’t find a home for her biggest strikes. Instead, Zingano seemed to sting her own foot checking a return kick from Vieira that hampered her for the remainder of the fight.
As for Vieira, she was able to take Zingano down at will and remained on top throughout big portions of the fight as she controlled the former title contender, who just wasn’t able to put together any significant offense all night long.
When it was over, the judges somehow returned a split decision victory despite the fact that it appeared rather obvious that Vieira deserved the win. Thankfully the decision still went for the Brazil, who revealed after the fight that she was competing with a fractured rib but still got the win — and now she wants UFC gold.
“I want that belt,” Vieira said. “No excuses. I deserve to fight for the belt.”
